Frostbite
by CrystalMaiden77
Summary: After being locked out of the house in a blizzard, Coop and Kat turn to the assistance of Phoebe out of desperation, and some secrets are revealed.


Kat and Coop were freezing. They were outside in the middle of a blizzard on the mountain, miles from home. Coop had just recently foiled Kat's plan, only to stop celebrating when the wind started to pick up and make him start shivering with Kat. He didn't want to fight when he was so cold, and it was clear that Kat agreed. " Let's just go home, " Coop said nervously. Kat nodded sadly, and started following behind him.

It had only been a couple of minutes before the freezing cold weather had made Coop miserable. " I bet you're regretting having your evil plan outside now, huh, Kat? " There was a silence. Coop listened for a response, and when he didn't get one, he turned around in confusion, and gasped at the sight of Kat passed out in the snow several steps behind him, lying on his side.

" KAT! " Coop screamed before he rushed to his side. The last thing he wanted was for Kat to freeze to death. He was like family to him. He cared about him. And if anything happened to him, Coop knew that he could get blamed for it. " GET UP! " Worried and frantic, Coop kneeled down on the snow.

He knew that he couldn't get Kat to stand up and keep following behind him. He couldn't even wake him up. But he couldn't just leave him there passed out in the snow. Coop sighed, and said unhappily, " Alright, there's no way I'm leaving you here... Desperate times call for desperate measures, " hoping Kat could at least hear him. " This may be the stupidest thing I've ever done, but... "

Working as fast as possible, Coop unzipped his coat and took it off along with his shirt, lifted up Kat's head and arms to pull him towards him, wiped the snow off Kat with his hands, and lifted Kat over his shoulder. Leaning back so that Kat wouldn't fall off him without being held, Coop quickly pulled his shirt back over his head, making sure Kat's head went through the neck hole so that he could still have some air. He put his shirt and coat back on, sharing them with Kat to shield him from the freezing cold wind. Kat's cold body was held against his chest.

" You're lucky you're family... " Coop grumbled. While he knew that it was the only way to warm him up, Coop still didn't like it. Kat's freezing cold body was making him colder than ever, and it made him uncomfortable being so close to his sworn enemy, even if it was a life-or-death situation and he was family. But warming Kat up was the right thing to do, and he knew he had no other choice.

Coop stood up and started walking through the blizzard carrying Kat, shivering more than he ever was before. " I hope you appreciate this, " he said with an annoyed tone, feeling slightly numb from the cold and being worried about and resentful of Kat at the same time.

After several seconds of walking down the mountain trail on his way home, he heard Kat moan quietly and start shivering under his coat. Kat had regained consciousness. Coop was relieved, but he was also worried about how Kat would react to being so close to him, and hoped that Kat would appreciate what he was doing for him. " A-Are you awake? " Coop asked nervously, hoping Kat wouldn't scratch him.

Kat moaned pitifully, clearly miserable from the cold. Coop said nervously, " Um, do you want to walk home? " Kat shook his head, not wanting to get his feet cold from walking on the snow again. " So you'll be okay with me carrying you? " Kat nodded. He was uncomfortable with being so close to his sworn enemy, but he still appreciated what the kid was doing for him. " Alright, good, " Coop said, clearly concerned about him. " This is warming you up, right? " Kat nodded, and started purring.

As soon as Kat realized that Coop took off his coat in a blizzard for him, he became overwhelmed with gratitude, and amazed that his sworn enemy would do such a thing for him. He couldn't believe Coop would go to such great lengths just to keep him alive. He remembered how Coop told him that he thought of him as family, even if they didn't get along sometimes, and nothing made this more clear than what Coop was doing for him at that moment; carrying him home while sharing his warm coat with him, doing whatever it would take to keep him from freezing to death.

" I'm glad you appreciate it, " Coop said with a relieved smile, trying to hide how worried he was about him. " I'm gonna bring you straight home to be taken care of. I don't care if I have to take care of you myself. I'm not letting _anything_ happen to you. " Kat smiled. He was thankful for so many things; thankful that Coop was sharing his coat with him, thankful that he didn't have to walk home, thankful that Coop cared about him so much, and thankful that Coop couldn't see his tears of joy.

" You got that, Kat? " He nodded. " Good. Try to get some sleep. I know that's gonna be hard out in a blizzard, but you won't suffer as much when you're asleep. " Kat nodded, surprised that his mortal enemy didn't want him to suffer. Coop must have been so worried about him that he felt more compassion for him than ever. Trying to ignore how cold it was, Kat closed his eyes and tried to get some rest, letting Coop walk home while carrying him.

After several minutes of walking in a blizzard carrying Kat, Coop was relieved at finally getting home. He was shivering so much that he was surprised it wasn't waking Kat up, his face was numb, and he couldn't stand the cold anymore. Coop rushed to the front door of his house and turned the doorknob, only to be shocked at finding out that it was locked. He quickly remembered that his father had taken Millie to go ice-skating, meaning that he would be locked out of the house until they returned. Coop groaned, frustrated with himself for forgetting that crucial detail.

Knowing that he had to get inside as fast as possible, Coop rushed to Dennis' house and tried to open the front door, only to discover that it was locked as well. He knocked on the door frantically before remembering that Dennis had temporarily left town for a family reunion and wouldn't be back until the next day. Freaked out, Coop worried frantically, not knowing where else to go.

He couldn't go to Lorne's house, or Old Lady Munson's house, or any of the other houses around him, because he didn't just need warm shelter. He needed a place where he could rely on someone to take care of him, and not just him, but Kat. He needed someone to help him, and Dennis and his father weren't home. Coop looked around frantically, desperately looking for a house belonging to someone who cared about him.

Eventually, he saw Phoebe's house behind a house across the street from his home, and felt incredibly conflicted. On the one hand, he didn't even want to knock on Phoebe's door, let alone ask her to warm him up. For all he knew, she'd insist on hugging him to warm him up, and she might not agree to help him unless he gave her a kiss. He didn't want to take that risk. Just the thought of being shown love and affection by Phoebe made his skin crawl.

But on the other hand, Coop knew that he had no one else to turn to, and he needed to get some place warm. Not just because he was freezing, but because Kat was, too. Kat needed him. He was counting on him. The last thing he wanted to do was let him down when he needed him the most, especially not when letting him down would result in him freezing to death. Knowing he had no other option, Coop sighed, and reluctantly walked across the street to Phoebe's house. " You'd better appreciate this, " he grumbled to Kat, who was still unconscious.

He reluctantly rang Phoebe's doorbell after walking up to her door. When Phoebe opened the door, her smile instantly faded when she saw that Coop was shivering, carrying Kat and sharing his coat with him. Coop asked nervously, " Phoebe, can I come in? I'm locked out of my house, and Dennis isn't home! I need your help! " Feeling sorry for him, she said sadly, " Oh, you poor thing, you're freezing! Oh, of course I'll help you! Come inside! I'll take you to my room and get you all warmed up! "

Coop quickly went into her house, and Phoebe closed the door behind him. Still shivering, he took off his winter clothes and boots, revealing to Phoebe's discomfort that he was sharing his shirt with Kat as well. As she brought him to her room, Coop told her nervously, " Kat passed out in the snow and I had to carry him here! He's the one who needs the most help! I want you to focus on helping him! "

Phoebe didn't know what to say. She didn't like Kat. In fact, she actually despised him. She didn't think Kat deserved to have his life saved when all he did with it was make Coop's worse. She knew that Coop thought of him as family because of how long he had lived with him, and she hated how he even loved Kat more than her. But she had to keep her resentment of Kat a secret, because if Kat found out, he'd hate her and become much more likely to hurt her. She knew that Coop deserved any favor he asked for, and she wanted to impress Coop as much as she could. At the very least, he would be proud of her for helping someone she hated just for him.

While thinking about this, Phoebe opened the door for Coop, who had taken his shirt off because it was making him colder, and pulled over the blue blankets of her bed, allowing him to lie Kat down in her bed and lie beside him. Overwhelmed with pity for Coop, Phoebe covered them over with the blankets and said softly, " _Don't worry, Coopie_. I'm gonna bring you some warm robes fresh out of the dryer, and some chicken noodle soup to warm you up from the inside! I'm gonna do whatever I can to get you back to normal! "

" What about Kat? " He noticed Phoebe's pity vanish as she forced a smile and feigned sympathy for Kat, saying with false sweetness, " _Oh,_ heh heh, I didn't forget about HIM! I'll bring him some blankets from the dryer, and some warm milk too! Whatever you want me to do, I'll do it! _That's_ how much I _care_ about you! " Coop was thankful that Kat was unconscious, because he was certain Kat would notice that Phoebe hated helping him, and he didn't want her to get hurt. After all, he could be blamed for it.

Phoebe continued with a smile, " I'll get you a thermometer to check your temperature. I'll be right back! " and quickly ran out of the room, and returned with a thermometer. She gently put the thermometer in Coop's mouth and said with concern, " 36 degrees Celsius. A degree below normal, but that's not too bad. You don't have hypothermia, so you don't have to go to the hospital. You'll be fine. " She was thankful that her being a Greenie Girl had taught her enough about First Aid for her to know such useful information.

She took the thermometer out of his mouth and put it in a drawer in the green shelf beside her bed, thankful that she was allowed to lovingly take care of Coop and show him her motherly nurturing side. " What about Kat? " Phoebe's smile was instantly replaced with an annoyed expression. She quickly caught herself and said with a forced smile, " Oh, I'll get him a thermometer, too! "

Coop said nervously, " You don't _wanna_ take his temperature, do you? " Phoebe stopped smiling and looked nervous. Coop asked, " Why not? " She laughed nervously and said, " It'd be different if he had his mouth open already, you know? " They both looked over at Kat, who was passed out in her bed. Understanding, Coop said nervously, " Okay, I see what you mean. Wait until he wakes up... "

Phoebe said with a smile, " Thank you. Now wait here, and I'll get you something warm to wear. " She quickly left the room, and when she came back a minute later, she was holding white robes in her hands. Coop sat up from the bed and let Phoebe put the robes on him, and he was surprised at how warm they were. He smiled and laid back down in her bed, feeling content. Phoebe was proud of herself for actually making Coop happy for once. " Thanks! " Coop said, which caused Phoebe to smile even as she covered Kat over with the pink blankets she brought from the dryer.

Phoebe covered them over with the blankets again, and smiled lovingly at Coop, saying softly,

" The pleasure's ALL mine, " before gently stroking his face. Under normal circumstances, Coop would feel uncomfortable with it, but since he was freezing and her hand was warm, the warmth of her hand made it almost enjoyable. Phoebe told him with a sweet tone, " I'll warm you up some soup, " before stroking his hair and quickly leaving the room.

Suddenly, Coop heard a dazed moaning sound to the left of him, and was relieved to see that Kat was waking up. He sat up and turned to him, waiting for him to open his eyes. Kat was so tired that he didn't want to wake up, but after realizing that he was freezing, he started shivering again and was unable to go back to sleep. Kat was shocked at finding out that he was lying in Phoebe's bed and his mortal enemy was sitting beside him looking concerned.

Coop told him, " Oh, thank goodness you're awake! I was locked out of the house and Dennis wasn't home, so I had to bring you here! Phoebe's been helping us. She's the one who brought you the warm blankets under the blue ones... " Kat was shocked that Coop had actually asked Phoebe for help warming him up. He would rather ask his stalker with a crush to warm him up than let his mortal enemy die. If Kat ever had any doubt that Coop valued his life, it had vanished after he heard that. He couldn't help but smile after letting it all sink in.

When Phoebe came into the room holding a bowl of chicken noodle soup with a spoon in it, she gasped at seeing that Kat was awake. " OH! " She forced a sweet smile. " Mr. Kat, you're awake! " She gave Coop his chicken noodle soup and said to Kat, " I'll warm up some milk for you. " Kat smiled in anticipation as Phoebe left the room. He thought it was sweet of her to give him blankets, and fortunately for her, he had no idea that she hated him.

She returned to the room shortly afterwards with a glass of warm milk and reluctantly gave it to Kat with a polite smile. Kat was so thankful for it that he directed all of his attention to it, making him unable to notice Phoebe glaring at him with her arms crossed. She was distracted when Coop said, " This soup tastes good! " Phoebe smiled and said, " I'm glad you like it! "

" Oh, and remember, you have to check Kat's temperature! " Phoebe stopped smiling, and said unhappily, " Oh, yeah, " before reluctantly leaving the room to get a thermometer. After returning, she cautiously walked up to Kat with the thermometer, and said timidly, " Um... Mr. Kat? " Kat looked at her in confusion, and assumed that Phoebe was nervous because she was worried about him. Worried that Kat would scratch her for telling him what to do, Phoebe said nervously, " Open your mouth, I need to check your temperature. " Kat put the glass of milk on the shelf beside him and did what he was told, and Phoebe carefully put the thermometer in his mouth, feeling very uncomfortable.

" 35 degrees Celsius; maybe two degrees below normal. You've got some mild hypothermia. " Coop commented nervously, " You must have done a good job warming him up. I could've _sworn_ he was colder than that! " Phoebe carefully took the thermometer out of Kat's mouth and put it in the shelf, and Kat resumed drinking his milk. Coop said nervously, " Well, he's gonna have to stay here until he gets his core temperature back up! "

Phoebe gasped. Kat assumed it was because she was worried about him and thought it was sweet, but Coop knew the truth. She hated even spending an hour taking care of Kat, and didn't want to be around him for longer than that.

Covering for her out of fear for her safety, Coop said, " I-I know you're worried about him, but I promise, he'll be okay! " causing Phoebe to look at him like he was crazy. " I'm sure it won't take that long to get him back to normal. I'm not bringing him outside in a blizzard when he's already freezing! As soon as Millie gets home, I want you to call her up and tell her what's going on. " Phoebe said in relief, " I will, " knowing that Millie would take over for her and feeling honored that Coop was relying on her and trusting her with something.

" And I know, I know, you want me to leave you alone, so I'll get out of your hair. I'll go watch some TV, " she said cheerfully, taking whatever excuse she could get to avoid being around Kat. Coop was shocked that she was actually leaving him alone and respecting his boundaries. This wasn't the Phoebe he knew! Phoebe asked with a hopeful smile, " Unless you're okay with me warming you up with my body heat by hugging you? " That was the Phoebe he knew.

Coop shook his head and said nervously, " No, no, no! I, uh, wanna finish my soup first! Don't want it to get cold! And besides, you don't wanna hug someone as cold as me! It'd be like hugging an icicle! And I don't want you to get cold, too! "

" Alright, alright, I understand, " Phoebe said with a smile, used to his excuses. She hoped that he wasn't lying about not wanting her to get cold. " Call me when you need me. " She left the room, desperate to get away from Kat because holding back her hatred of him was torture for her. Coop sighed with relief.

He asked Kat, " Are you okay with Phoebe taking care of you? " Still drinking his warm milk, Kat shrugged and nodded. He didn't hate Phoebe. If anything, he liked her, even if it was just because she freaked out his mortal enemy.

Coop asked nervously, " But would you prefer Millie? " Kat nodded. He didn't want Millie to worry about him, but he was a lot closer to her, and he trusted her a lot more than Phoebe. Coop sighed. Kat interpreted it as a sigh of disappointment, but Coop knew it was a sigh of relief. He didn't know how long Phoebe could handle being around Kat before she lost it with him.

Like Kat, Coop was shivering uncontrollably, but the warm clothes and soup were doing wonders for him. He was disappointed when he had finally finished all of the soup. He put the empty bowl on the shelf, and Kat put his empty glass beside it after he finished his milk.

After a silence, Coop said, " I can't believe Phoebe would do something so nice for me... " Kat gave him a look, and he said, " I know I shouldn't be surprised that she'd help me. She's got such a huge crush on me, after all! But... she wanted to help me SO much, that she didn't even ask for anything in return... and... I can't thank her enough for this... I just hope she doesn't ask me for a kiss. " Kat snickered, clearly hoping that she would. " Hey! "

Then, Kat remembered that annoying Coop would just get him fighting with him when neither one of them were in any condition to fight, and quickly regretted it. Seeing Kat's worried look, Coop calmed down and said, " Oh, don't worry, I'm not gonna get into a fight with you. It's not the right time. You need your rest. " Kat smiled with relief, and laid back down, sharing the pillow with Coop.

After several minutes, Kat fell asleep, and Coop took the opportunity to approach Phoebe about her behavior around Kat. He knew that getting out of a warm bed when he was still shivering was a bad idea, but he didn't need the blankets nearly as much as Kat, and the robes he was wearing were more than enough to keep him warm. So he quietly left the room, walked downstairs, and went up to Phoebe, who was sitting on the living room couch watching TV.

Phoebe gasped, turned off the TV, and said with concern, " COOP! Why aren't you in bed, under the blankets?! " Coop said seriously, " I'm sure these robes are _more_ than enough to keep me warm. Phoebe? We need to talk. " She looked uneasy as Coop sat down beside her with a serious expression on his face. She knew that she should be happy that Coop was voluntarily sitting right beside her, but it was clear that he was going to ask her something she didn't want him to ask.

" Why were you acting that way around Kat? " Phoebe wondered if playing dumb would fool Coop. It certainly worked for Millie. " What do you mean? " Phoebe asked with a smile. Coop clarified,

" You were always so reluctant to help him, and you kept _forcing smiles_ around him. " Phoebe looked away and muttered, " Oh, so _now_ you notice they're _fake..._ " since she had forced smiles around Coop whenever he tried to avoid her, and he never approached her about them before.

" I don't wanna help him because he's _creepy-looking_ and I don't _trust_ him not to _hurt_ me... " Phoebe answered with resentment. Coop asked, " Why don't you trust him not to hurt you? He doesn't hate _you!_ " since Kat showed no indication of wanting to harm Phoebe. " Because, I keep hearing about him _scratching you_ and _biting_ you all the time, and I don't _like_ it... I don't. I hate the way he treats you!... You don't deserve that! You, you don't _deserve,_ to have your _entire life turned upside-down,_ because of _him!_ " she said passionately. It was clear that Phoebe had felt sorry for him for a very long time, and what she said to Coop clearly hit close to home, because he agreed with her completely. Phoebe looked annoyed and resentful as she ranted,

" THAT'S why I don't wanna help Kat, because he _DOESN'T DESERVE IT!_ Your life is _WORSE with him in the picture!_ He does nothing but stress you out and the only good he brings to your life is _COMPLETELY UNINTENTIONAL!_ He's an annoying purple _menace_ and he's _mean_ and you STILL _care_ about him! " Coop was shocked, and wondered why Phoebe kept this hatred to herself for so long.

" I care about him because he's part of my family! " Phoebe said angrily, " He's NOT FAMILY! He's a hideous hairless FREAK that only lives with you because of MILLIE taking him in! You only think of him as family because you got USED to him LIVING with you! He didn't do ANYTHING to _deserve_ it! He didn't _raise_ you or take _care_ of you your entire _life_! He doesn't LOVE you! He doesn't even LIKE you! All he does is _stress you out!_ "

Coop asked, " Are you mad at me?! " Phoebe noticed that Coop actually looked hurt. He wasn't used to his most loyal admirer yelling at him for any reason. She felt guilty, sighed sadly, and said to him, " NO. I'm mad at KAT. "

Getting progressively sadder, she complained, " I just _can't believe_ that you care about HIM more than you care about ME! Yeah, I make your life worse, too, but at least it's not on purpose! I care about you, I like you, I _saved your life,_ and you _STILL_ love Kat more than _me!_ Sure, it's just family love, but at least _he_ has _something!_ I have _NOTHING!_ I'm not family, I'm not your friend, I'm not your acquaintance, I'm _nothing!_ " Her voice cracked at the last sentence, by which point she sounded much more sad than angry.

Coop felt terrible about driving Phoebe to tears, and wished he had never confronted her in the first place. Wanting to clarify things as quickly as he could, he said in a panic, " No, no, no, that's not _true!_ You're not _nothing!_ I don't _hate_ you! " Miserable, Phoebe looked away from him and quietly whimpered, " Yes, you _do.._. " feeling terrible about herself. She thought with shame, " _Why wouldn't you?_ "

" No, I don't! If I hated you, I'd hurt you and insult you and humiliate you! You don't attack me and insult me and embarrass me on purpose, so why would I hate you? " Phoebe immediately thought about all of her flaws in response to that question, and felt worse. Coop realized what he did, and sighed before saying, " Yes, I think of Kat as family and not you, but that doesn't mean I hate you!

I like you _way_ more than any of my _enemies!_ Kat always tries to annoy me, like Millie, Lorne, Harley and Old Lady Munson. I'll _admit_ that you stress me out sometimes, but it's not like you're doing it on _purpose!_ That's why you're _better_ than them. And that's why you're NOT my enemy. "

Phoebe looked at him again, no longer wiping away tears, and said quietly, " _That's_ a relief, " secretly hesitant to believe him. " I had no idea you hated Kat THAT MUCH!... I thought you just _disliked_ him like everyone else I know! And I thought it was only because of the way he looked!...

I didn't think you were holding such a _grudge_ against him... "

" OH, I've _ALWAYS HATED_ that _HAIRLESS FREAK!_ Ever since the day I met him, I _KNEW_ he was _BAD NEWS!_ But I had to keep it to myself, because the _last_ thing I _wanted_ was for him to find out and start a _fight_ with me! Of course, I could probably _take_ him. But that doesn't mean I wanna get _hurt_ by him on a regular basis, " Phoebe explained resentfully with her arms crossed.

" So, you wanna stay on his good side because you're afraid of becoming his enemy? " Phoebe said defensively, " _NO,_ I'm not _AFRAID!_ I just didn't want to have to deal with him _all on my OWN!_ " There was a stunned silence before Phoebe sighed sadly and continued more calmly, "But that was a _long_ time ago. I've been holding back my hatred of him for over a YEAR. It's _not_ good for me having so much anger bottled up! It's gotten to the point where now I kind of wish he _would_ attack me! At least _then_ I'd _finally_ be able to express my _hatred_ of him! It would be _SUCH_ a _RELIEF!_ I'm just... I'm sick of having _all_ this _hatred_ and no _enemy_ to take it _out_ on. " She looked depressed.

Coop asked nervously, " What about Fiona? " He felt uncomfortable discussing her in front of Phoebe, since he didn't trust her not to get angry about her and take it out on him. But instead of getting annoyed, Phoebe said sadly, " Oh she's a _GREAT_ stress reliever but she's barely ever _HERE!_ It's not _ENOUGH!_ I need a _REAL_ enemy! Not some BLONDIE who shows up in town once in a BLUE MOON! It's nice that I can trust her not to _HURT_ me, but I barely ever get to _SEE_ her- "

" Wait... " Coop said. " You're giving me the impression that _you hate Kat more than Fiona._ " He looked confused, like he didn't know what to make of it. Phoebe looked nervous as he said,

" I thought you hated her more than you could ever hate anybody else! I've never seen you angrier than when you're around her! But when I mentioned her as your enemy you just brushed your hatred of her aside like it was _nothing!_ And you said that _she_ _wasn't your real enemy!_ It's starting to sound like she's nothing more than a _stress ball_ you need to _squeeze_ because you can't express your hatred of _Kat,_ and so you _take it out on her_ because you have _no one else to turn to!_ "

Phoebe looked nervous, and almost afraid. She hoped that Coop wouldn't start telling her off for the way she treated Fiona, since he was talking about it with a raised voice. " So from what I'm hearing, you _should_ be getting _even more enraged_ by _Kat..._ but you _bottle it up_ when around him so you won't get hurt... So if your hatred of Fiona is _nothing_ compared to your hatred of _Kat,_ then that must be a LOT of anger that you're just hiding with a smile and pushing to the back of your mind! How can you put up with that?! That can't be good for you! Can't all that stress give you an ulcer or something?! "

" That's what I'm worried about, " Phoebe said quietly, thankful that Coop seemed to be worried about her health and feeling sorry for her, instead of getting angry with her for hating Kat and taking it out on Fiona. Coop stammered and exclaimed, " But, how could _anything_ make you _hate a cat_ more than you hate _Fiona?!_ "

Phoebe was startled by the question. She knew that she had to be really careful about how she worded her answer, because answering wrong would get him angry with her at best. Phoebe said calmly with resentment, " Well, you know very well why I don't like Fiona. But despite everything, at least _she_ doesn't _hurt_ you and _make fun of you_ and _purposely_ try to make your life _worse._ She's not like Lorne and Harley and Millie, she's not your enemy and she doesn't mistreat you. So... as _long_ as she treats you with _respect,_ I can't hate her _nearly_ as much as _Kat._ "

After a long silence, Coop said, " That makes a lot of sense... Much more sense than what I was thinking. " Phoebe was alarmed, and tried to sound nonchalant when she asked cheerfully, " Oh, what were _you_ thinking? " Coop stammered and said honestly, " Um... Basically the same thing _you_ said, sort of. Kat _hurts me_ and _causes me trouble,_ while Fiona _doesn't,_ so it's only _natural_ that you hate _him_ _more._ "

" Plus he's really creepy-looking, " Phoebe added, and Coop said with a smile, " Well, yeah, he definitely doesn't look like a _normal cat._ " Phoebe said cheerfully, " Of course not! He looks like uh, a creepy cat! " and chuckled with a knowing smile, thankful that she had actually made Coop happy for once. " Although I guess from a certain point of view, he _is_ kind of _cute._ "

Phoebe stopped smiling and looked annoyed again, which Coop didn't notice because he wasn't looking at her. " And he can be pretty nice when he wants to be! He's not always mean! Sometimes it can be easy to see why Millie thinks he's cute... Uh-oh. Are you mad at _me_ or _Kat?_ "

Phoebe growled, " _Kat,_ " clearly jealous that Coop showed fondness for his mortal enemy and not her just because Kat lived with him. Suddenly, she looked nervous, and asked, " Do you think it's weird that I'm calling him Kat and not _Mr._ Kat? " There was a silence as Coop stared at her in confusion. " B-Because everybody else calls him Mr. Kat... like _Millie, for one._ ' Kat ' seems to be sort of just what you and Dennis call him... and probably Fiona, too... " Coop shrugged and said,

" I guess it makes sense. You hate him, so you call him that because he stresses you out a lot, even if it's just indirectly. Just don't call him that to his face and you'll be fine. "

" That's what I've been doing, " she said cheerfully. Phoebe sighed, and said sadly with a tone full of shame, " I know I shouldn't be complaining so much, Coop... He's not annoying me _directly,_ after all. In _some ways,_ I'm luckier than you are because I don't have to deal with him all the time. I'm not trying to say that I have it _worse._ I'm not _that_ self-absorbed. It's just that having to hide my hatred of him has its _own_ set of problems, that's all. "

" In some ways? " Coop looked confused. " Don't you mean in _all_ ways? What upside can there _possibly_ _be_ to having to live with a cat who _hates_ you? " He immediately thought of one, and dismissed it because while being a hero gave him a purpose in life and improved his self-esteem, Phoebe didn't give him any indication that she knew about that upside. After thinking about it, Coop realized that Phoebe had been silent for several seconds. Instead of finding it odd, he simply said, " Well? "

After choosing her words carefully, Phoebe answered, " I bet having all those fights with him relieves a lot of stress! Must be REALLY _satisfying!_ It's better than holding it all in because you have no one to take it out on, especially since you're allowed to hurt him all you want! " " Well, I'm not exactly allowed, but I don't get in huge trouble for it, either... Okay, you're right, Phoebe, there is _one_ upside. " He smiled. He had gotten so used to talking with Phoebe that he had forgotten how much of a crush she had on him, to the point where he thought nothing of smiling at her like an old friend.

After a silence, Phoebe asked, " So, does this mean you're not _mad_ at me for hating your sister's ugly cat? " She hoped she was right. " Of course! Why would I be mad? I don't like him either! " Coop said cheerfully. " But _you care about him._ You care about him enough _to take your shirt off in a blizzard_ for him.You care about him enough to _share your coat_ with him and _carry_ him home when he's passed out, and you care about him enough to ask _me_ for _help_ despite clearly not _wanting_ to, " Phoebe said nervously. Coop replied cheerfully, " Yep, that's right! "

After a long silence, she said in confusion, " You love him and hate him _at the same time?!_ " Coop said, " Yeah! It's like with Millie, you know? She annoys me and insults me and makes my life stressful, but in the end, she's still my sister. It's the same thing with Kat! I'm not exactly on good terms with him, but in the end, he's still family. I don't want him to get sick or killed or seriously injured, and I don't want that to happen to Millie, either. It's more normal than you think. "

" Wait, you _don't_ want him to get killed?! Why not?! I thought you wanted to get rid of him! When your sister first met him, you went through so much trouble to try to get him out of your house! If he got killed, he wouldn't be bothering you anymore and all of your problems would be solved!... But you don't _want_ that to happen to him, because you've lived with him for so long that you think of him as family now... right? " Coop nodded, a little unnerved by how disappointed Phoebe had sounded. " Right. The family wouldn't be _complete_ without _him_. "

" I... guess that makes sense... It's just _confusing_ that you're not getting _mad_ at me for hating _Kat_ so much if you think of him as _family_ , that's all... since I don't have the same amount of love and compassion for him as _you_ do... " There was a silence.

" Coop? Thanks. " Coop asked, " For what? " There was a long silence until Phoebe finally said sadly, " Thanks for not _yelling_ at me... Seriously, you did me a _huge favor_ there. " " I know, " Coop replied, understanding that she wouldn't be able to handle it. Even if he _did_ get the courage to tell her off for the way she treated Fiona with hatred, and out of misdirected anger no less, Coop knew that " standing up to her " would just cause her to _break down crying,_ and then _he'd_ be the bad guy.

" I understand why you don't like her. And as long as you don't _hurt_ her, I won't get mad at you for it. Alright? " Phoebe said nervously, " Alright. I _promise_ I won't _injure_ her. " She didn't trust herself not to hurt Fiona, since she might get so angry that she'd lose all self-control and break that promise. When she thought about it, that actually made her feel worse. Now Coop was going to get even more angry with her if she hurt Fiona for breaking her promise.

" What if she hurts me first? Can I _at_ _least_ defend myself? " It was clear that this was a question Coop didn't want to hear. He looked nervous and conflicted, and thought for several seconds about his answer. On the one hand, he didn't want Phoebe to go overboard with " defending herself " and injure Fiona, thinking she could get away with it by using self-defence as an excuse. But on the other hand, it wouldn't be fair of him to expect Phoebe not to defend herself in a fight just because she's afraid he'll hate her for it. Coop witnessed first-hand how devastated it made Phoebe feel to think that he didn't care about her. He didn't want to put her through that again. Hoping the situation would never come, Coop sighed and said quietly, " Fine... you can defend yourself if she starts a _fight_ with you... But _don't_ go _overboard_. I'll _know_. " Phoebe smiled in relief.

With that, Coop returned to her bedroom to go back under the blankets of her bed. While he was still a little uncomfortable with being in Phoebe's house, he was glad that he had that talk with her, because it revealed things about her that he never would've guessed. He didn't know she had such depths until he sat down and talked with her. He had never actually had a real conversation with her before. He never knew that she had such a passionate grudge against Kat, or that she bottled up her anger towards him and took it out on Fiona, or that she had a surprisingly low self-esteem. Now that he knew there was more to her than just a creepy stalker with a crush, it changed the way he thought about her. Not completely, of course, as he was still uncomfortable with her behavior around him, but he at least knew that there was more to her than he thought. Phoebe was grateful for the talk, as well, because she was finally able to reveal some things to him that she had kept hidden from most of the world for so long, and did it in such a way that she avoided revealing what she didn't want to. She had finally gotten the opportunity to have a real conversation with him, and even though it was just as a friend, she was grateful for it nevertheless. She knew that Coop understood her better because of that talk, and because she was tactful enough, he didn't figure out what she didn't want him to in the process. Everything had worked out perfectly. Because of that talk, their relationship improved, even if just a little, because Coop was able to see her as a friend and a person with depths for the first time.


End file.
